"Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train," a continuation of the popular anime series, Demons Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba had its premiere on Friday, 16th of October, in Japan.

Honestly, I expected it to be a hit, but never would I have imagined that it will get this crazy and that so many people will wait in long queues for tickets during a global pandemic!

Many fans also pre-ordered the tickets online.

The schedule for the movie looked like a bus timetable, all the seats were in red, so even though I tried, I couldn't get a ticket in the first days.

I decided to go on the 21st, that being a Wednesday, thinking it will be less crowded. That day, I was busy at work and was thinking that I should also wake up early the next day. However, I couldn’t wait any longer, so I decided to try and reserve a ticket for the evening. It was about 18.15 USD.

I did that in the morning, but even so, the seats were almost full!

The thought of finally being able to see the movie made me so happy and excited, and my coworkers didn’t miss noticing that something is up. I told them what was going on during lunchtime. One of them already managed to see the movie, so he told me to make sure I have tissues with me before going.

After work, I went home, changed and refreshed my make-up, quickly grabbed something for dinner, and headed to the cinema. At the entrance, I could immediately notice a few fans of the series. How did I know that they were fans? Well, some had badges, straps with the characters, others were even wearing clothes similar to the characters.

It wasn’t cosplaying as they were not wearing all the items (including wigs, make-up), but you could see they wanted to get the whole experience dressed as their favorite characters.

As I already ate before going, I decided to get a bottle of water, thinking it would be impolite of me to grab something else, especially now, during the pandemic. We need to be considerate and stay safe, so I only got some water, in case I get thirsty during the movie.

Is it safe enough?

Before entering, I had to stop in front of a big monitor that checked my temperature. It was 36.5. Then, I disinfected my hands using the alcohol bottle left at the entrance, showed my ticket, and got instructed to head to “Screen 2”.

I read in an article that, because of how popular the movie is, they have decided to loosen the restrictions. I was worried that there will be no open seats, but fortunately, that wasn’t the case. When I got to my seat, both the right and left sides were empty, and the same was with the front and back seats. People were also keeping a distance before entering, so overall I felt really safe.

Before the movie started, they had some instructions saying we should keep the masks on during the film and also assured us that the whole area has good ventilation and seats around us are left open.

However, there were many people with popcorn and drinks that were eating, and I felt that it wasn’t fair to those who are trying hard to keep others safe and have the masks on during the movie.

After 10 minutes of commercials and instructions, the movie finally started…

Everyone knows that it is a continuation of where the first season of the anime series ended, and I will try to say a few words about how I felt without giving any spoilers.

It was without a doubt a wonderful movie that left me in tears, and once again, I was impressed with the animation and the plot that didn’t cease to amaze me until the very end.

There were times during the movie when I forgot to breathe, that’s how immersed I was in what was going on. I laughed, I got the chills, I cried, I was left speechless and utterly impressed at the very end of it. I found myself murmuring in Japanese: “Amazing!” Oh! All the feels!” at the very end, a while after they turned on the lights.

On my way home, I kept thinking of the ending, constantly bursting into tears and wondering how am I going to sleep tonight and what should I do if my eyes will get swollen tomorrow at work.

I only managed to get some straps with Tanjiro and Rengoku and a clear file from the cinema store as most goods were sold out but afterward, I went to the arcade nearby and tried my luck at the many UFO catchers.

Most were full of Demon Slayer goods such as tableware, blankets, figurines, plushies, straps, swords, and much more!

My eyes got swollen the next day, but my coworkers could easily figure out the reason, so we had an awesome day talking about my experience and the movie during lunch.

I recommend watching the movie at Imax because the sound there is the best you can get, and also getting many packs of tissues with you because you’ll go through a roller coaster of emotions.

Other than that, do not forget your mask and maybe get to the cinema earlier if you want to get some Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba goods.